Pokemon: Eternity
by ForteAnother
Summary: Cladis had never experienced the life of a true pokemon trainer for his entire life. When his father died of unknown causes, it fell upon him to complete his last wish; deliver a letter to Cynthia of Sinnoh. A simple wish, but the shy, sheltered Cladis had no idea that the simple letter would trigger the start of his journey.
1. Chapter 1: Pride

Chapter 1: Pride

Jubilife City; the face of the Sinnoh Region. Modern skyscrapers stretched high all around the city. People and pokemon came and went every second of everyday – and today was no different. The beginning of the gentle spring season proved to be the perfect outdoors day. As such, the central park was filled more than usual, young people and pokemon spending time together in blissful joy. The park was the most beautiful and well-kept in all of Sinnoh; thus Sinnoh's finest would usually visit the park at least once in their lifetimes. One such individual was there the moment the sun reached its highest point. The Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, sat relaxed with a book and a Jubilife Cone on one of the many benches. She was in her casual wear; her baby-blue vest-dress.

In the shadow of the trees further down the path stood a young boy struggling to work up the courage to speak to her. He lived his entire life as the shy-type, only speaking when spoken to, mostly. Cladis was the name of the boy. His hair was pure white and tied up in a high pony-tail but also extending down to cover his right eye. He wore a dark crimson jacket which remained open to show his black shirt and pants. Around his neck hung a pendant shaped in the form of the Roman numeral I, tied with a golden chain. Perched on his shoulder was a pokemon that was uncommon to the Sinnoh Region. It was his best friend; Sonitus. A Noibat.

"Noi…" the pokemon cooed in a concerned matter.

"I-I know, Sonitus, I know I have to," Cladis replied in a gently voice, "I'm just nervous, is all…"

"Noibat!" it retorted, in a commanding fashion.

"A-alright, alright I'm going," he took a deep breath and stepped out into the pathway. "Okay…here goes-" He was cut off by three Punks who walked into him, not paying attention, and knocked him to the ground.

"Watch it, you twerp!" the leader snarled.

"S-sorry, but you were the ones who weren't p-paying attention," Cladis responded as he picked himself up.

"Hey boss, check it out, this guy's givin' you lip," the Punk to his left said.

"You gonna take that?" the right one chimed in.

"Dumbass, why you gotta ask stupid shit like that?" the leader said, pushing the right one a bit. "Of course I'm gonna teach this smartass and his rodent a lesson!"

Cladis growled angerly. "H-he's not a rodent! If there was a rodent around here, it'd be you!" Sonitus patted Cladis' cheek with his wing-paw gently. **C-calm…r-right** _._

"Wrong move, kid. Now you and your flying rat are gonna get a beating! Back up your words, if you're so tough!" the leader said as he tossed out a pokeball into the air. In a flash of red light, the leader's Honchkrow took form and cawed loudly.

Sonitus flew off Cladis' shoulder and took an aerial battle stance. "Noi!" it cried out.

The Honchkrow and its trainer laughed. "Look at this thing! Teach it a lesson, Honchkrow, use Dark Pulse!"

A black aura began to form around the bird. Its wings began to flap, shooting waves upon waves of Darkness at Sonitus at an alarmingly fast speed. The Noibat barely had enough time to dodge around the waves. Before Sonitus could even prepare itself to counterattack, the Honchkrow was immediately in his face and issued a devastating Night Slash with its talons, knocking him to the ground. "Sonitus!" Cladis called out as the Noibat shrugged off the damage, impressively. "G-gust! Use Gust!"

"Gust?! Oh no, whatever shall we do?!" the leader mocked. "Honchkrow, cut through it with Night Slash!" The talons of the Honchkrow began to glow purple again as it charged through the Gust attack, ignoring the minor damage it was sustaining.

"A-arrogance will cost you," Cladis now mocked, "Sonitus, use Heat Wave!" The Noibat called out as the gust of wind he was whipping up began to burn with a fiery intensity that proved too much for his foe to ignore. The Honchkrow cried out as the burning winds engulfed it.

The leader was now showing signs of distress. "What kind of bullshit is that?!"

As the battle raged on, other park goers stopped and stood on the sides of the path. They became spectators, cheering on Sonitus as he charged into the fiery winds and knocked the Honchkrow to the ground with a hardy Tackle. Surprisingly enough, the tiny bat pokemon was proving to be a match for the Punk's Honchkrow. It was truly becoming a remarkable spectacle for such a spring day.

Among the crowd were two particular individuals. Both of them – a male and a female – were rather tan and thin. The male was rather lanky with a small soul patch on his chin while the female was of average height with a black ring piercing on her lip. They both had "dirty blonde" hair, shaven for the male, shoulder length for the female. If their white and blue striped tops didn't give them away, their bandanas surely did. The sigil of Team Aqua from the Hoenn Region was worn with pride. The spectacle was so entertaining, no one even bothered to pay them any mind. "Kid's not bad," the lanky one said.

"Oh please," the female scoffed, "would you have expected that small bat to have such a move?"

"No, and that's my point. Kid had it all planned out. Besides, he must be good to get the Champ's attention."

The female looked over to see Cynthia standing behind the crowd in a discrete fashion. She looked quite entranced. The female grunt rolled her eyes and looked back at the battle. _I guess not._

Sonitus dove in for another Tackle. Catching the Honchkrow in its dodge, Sonitus launched another Heat Wave. The Honchkrow fell straight to the ground, struggling to get up. "Get up, damn bird, get the fuck up!" the leader ordered.

"S-Sonitus, please end this. Use Heat Wave one last time!" The Noibat began to storm up another wind when it was suddenly blind sighted by a burst of flame from its side. "H-hey!" Cladis yelled as he turned to see one of the only Punks standing with a Houndour.

"You can't show up the boss like that! You mess with him, you mess with us!"

"Damn right!" the attention shifted to the third Punk, who sent out a Stunky. Sonitus was barely able to get up before it was pelted with an Acid Spray attack.

"S-stop!" Cladis cried out.

Sonitus laid flat on the ground. It was clear that he was unable to continue the battle. The crowd grew visibly upset. "Cowards…" the lanky grunt said. His female companion was silent.

Cladis clenched his fist while reaching to his waist for Sonitus' pokeball. "H-happy now? You win. Sonitus ret-"

The Noibat was struck by a Shadow Ball from the Honchkrow, sending him flying. He landed a few inches away from his trainer. "W-what are you doing?! The battle's over!"

The poor pokemon was struck again.

"Y-you're killing him!"

"We ain't done until you and your rat learn some respect, twerp! Boys, teach him one final lesson!"

The three pokemon began to prepare a Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, and a Sludge Bomb combination. They fired, causing a massive smokescreen around the crowd. The crowd was spewing profanity and vulgarity among the smoke. But once the smoke cleared, the crowd grew silent – they were stunned to see the boy standing before his pokemon. He was tattered and charred and in would seem in pain if not for his stern gaze. He said nothing as he picked up his bleeding, unconscious pokemon.

"Serves you right, kid! Mess with us and shit happens! Hope you learned your lesson!"

"Picking on a defenseless pokemon? I think you're the ones who need to be taught a lesson."

Cynthia was now standing ahead of the crowd but…it wasn't her who spoke. The crowd stared in fearful, surprised awe as they saw the female Aqua grunt standing beside Cladis. Beside her was an angry looking Vaporeon. Her male grunt companion looked beside him, only just realizing she was gone. "Fighting to kill? How sickening!"

"What's that fancy smancy word, boss? Hypocrite?" the right Punk taunted.

"My thought's exactly," the leader replied. "I say we teach her a lesson, too!"

"Hey hey, hey now," the male grunt said as he walked up to the other side of Cladis in a mellow fashion. "No lessons'll be taught. Not without me," he said, sending out a Mightyena.

The leader grinned. "Still three to two. You really think you can take us?"

"Allow me to even the odds." Cynthia now approached the battlefield. She looked down at Sonitus. "He'll be fine if you hurry to the Pokemon Center," she said, touching Cladis gently on the shoulder.

Cladis nodded and dashed off just as Cynthia's Garchomp appeared from behind the bench Cynthia was sitting on. "Shall we begin?"

"S-shit…"


	2. Chapter 2: We hope to see you again!

Chapter 2: "We hope to see you again!"

Ominous silence filled the air of the peaceful Pokemon Center. Cladis sat uneasily, yet patiently in a far corner of the lobby. One of Nurse Joy's Chanseys was just finishing tending to his wounds. Remarkably, he someone avoided serious injuries; just a few burns and cuts on his face, legs and arms. Still, the Chansey hummed blissfully away as she gently applied medicine and bandages. The steady flow of Time seemed to crawl by slowly. Every tick of the red hand seemed to grow longer and longer and longer still - as if to purposely torment the anxious boy. Sonitus had to be taken into intensive care and was in there for roughly an hour. If it were up to Cladis, he would be in the room with Sonitus – but Nurse Joy forbid it as it would be hazardous.

A heavy sigh was released from his lungs. He blamed himself for what happened to his friend. **I should have acted sooner,** he thought to himself. **Rather…should I have let him fight them?**

A clump of pink fluff brushed up against his nose, awaking him from his trance. Cladis looked down at the brown rabbit pokemon sitting in his lap. "Buneary…" she whispered while she looked at him upside down.

He could sense her concern. "I shouldn't have let my guard down," he said quietly.

"Bune!"

"No, I don't think so." At that, the pink fluffed rabbit crossed her paws and pouted. Cladis chuckled and gently scratched behind her ear.

The Chansey smiled happily as it put the medical supplies back into the cart. Cladis attempted to quickly stand up, but cringed and sat right back down. "Chansey!" the nurse ordered.

"No sudden movements. Got it. Thanks, Doc," he replied as he rested back against the cushioned couch. He gave a small smile as the Chansey toted the supply cart back behind the counter and began to assist another Chansey. He sighed as he repositioned himself, snuggling his little bunny. They both began to dose off into a small slumber.

Not five minutes after his eyes shut, a commotion outside of the building startled him. It was so sudden, like a Stoutland's bark. Cladis looked outside the glass window and noticed two Team Aqua grunts standing infront of a bearded man with a strange looking blue get-up. Cladis recognized the grunts from before, but it took him a few moments to realize that the bearded fellow was their leader, Archie. The female grunt looked annoyed, yet uneasy. "I specifically gave the order not to cause any commotion and the first thing I hear is how there was a fight involving two of MY grunts?!" he barked.

"Sir," the lanky one pleaded, "we didn't start trouble, honest!"

"But you were involved in trouble, and that's what matters. How is Team Aqua supposed to show the world that we've changed if grunts are still involved in trouble?"

Archie's yammering went on for a few moments. With every second, the female seemed to grow more and more uneasy. The lanky one continued to try and get through to Archie, but his efforts seemed pointless. Cladis decided he had seen enough and slowly climbed to his feet. His Buneary looked up at him as he winced slightly. Shrugging off the minor pain in one of his legs, Cladis slowly stumbled towards the door. It slid open silently. Then, leaning himself against one of the support beams for the overhang, he did something that he thought was impossible. "H-hey!" he yelled. Archie turned and glared at him. Before Archie could open his mouth to say anything, Cladis continued in a stern tone. "Because of them, my pokemon is still alive!" He limped over and looked up at Archie with an angry look. The brown and pink rabbit mimicked his stare. "They saved him – and me. Everyone who was there knows that. They were the good guys in this story, so why don't you stop berating them and back off?"

The two grunts looked at him with widened eyes. Only one person had ever spoken to their leader like that, and that was before their reformation.

Archie, on the other hand, studied the boy in front of him for a few silent seconds. He gave a mischievous grin before bursting out into a hardy fit of laughter. "You've got some guts, kid!" he finally said once he stopped laughing. "No one's spoken to me like that for some time, now! I like you, kid; you showed me some really impressive signs. So impressive, they remind me of that kid that stopped me all those years ago! Team Aqua could use someone like you."

Cladis blinked. "H-huh?" **Like me? What did I do?**

Archie turned to the two grunts. "I'm heading back to the base. Make sure to check in once you finish up here."

"Uh…Yes sir!" the lanky one said as his leader strode off. Once Archie was out of sight, he walked over to Cladis and put an arm around his neck. "Damn, kid, ya really saved our skin, there!"

Cladis winced in pain a bit, sparking a disapproving glare from his Buneary. "It was the least I could do," he said through it.

"It makes us even," the female grunt said as she swiped a pokeball from the male grunt's waist and walked into the Pokemon Center while the male grunt helped Cladis get inside. He looked at her with puzzled look before sitting back down on the couch.

"Hey, don't mind her sass. She's always in a bad mood," he said loudly so that she could hear him. "You alright, pal?"

"I'll be fine in time. It's Sonitus I'm worried about. He's been in intensive care for over an hour, now."

"He's a tough 'mon," the grunt said as he plopped down next to him and put his feet up on the small coffee table. "A right kicker. He'll be fine. Oh yeah, since we're bein' chums, name's Crest," he said, raising his arm upward with a fist.

"Cladis," the boy replied and bumped his wrist against his new friend's, "and, I didn't get a chance to say it, but thank you."

"Eh, was nothin'. But I'm not the one ya should be thankin'. Rather, you should be thankin' this lil' ball of sunshine," Crest said as the female grunt walked over. She pegged him with his pokeball. "Ow! Sheesh, Sis, I was just teasin' ya!"

Cladis looked up at her. "Oh, uh, thank you then, uh…"

"Ira," she said plainly as she crossed her arms.

"Ira," Cladis repeated, "Thank you." He felt a pinching of his wrist. "O-oh! And this is Aristsora. I wasn't about to let those fiends hurt her, too, so I kept her safe."

"Aww, she's a peach," Crest said as he rubbed the Buneary's lowered ear with the back of his finger, gently. She smiled happily at him. "Ain't she, Sis?"

"She's shiny. Kid's lucky."

Cladis gave her a warm smile to counteract the cold gaze of her eyes. "Well, I have to be for you to have wanted to help someone like me," he said, sheepishly.

"Oh please, it wasn't for you. Like Archie said, Team Aqua needs to renew our reputation. Beating those punks down was an opportunity to make some good rep, that's all," she replied in a snap and closed her eyes.

"O-oh…Well, thank you, anyway," Cladis said, quietly. Aristsora glared at Ira, angerly.

"Hey, turn off the ice maker for once, Sis - he's being nice to you," Crest said as he put his legs down and leaned forward. "Besides, if it wasn't for him, we'd be in some deep shit right now."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Soooooo?" Crest said as he cocked his head in a mocking fashion.

"Ugh, fine. Thanks, I guess," she finally said.

"It's the least I could do," Cladis replied quietly.

"Are we done here, now? Let's go, Crest," Ira ordered as she walked out the door.

Crest hung his head. "I was just getting comfy," he complained as he stood up and stretched. "Don't get too bent out of shape because of her," he said, noticing the downed look on Cladis' face. "I think those guys just pissed her off more than I thought. She's not that bad once you get to know her. We're gonna be in town for a few more days until Archie decides where to send us, so we'll catch you around. See ya around, Cladis."

Cladis wished him off before sighing and sitting back into the cushion. Aristsora was pouting again. "What's wrong?" he cooed.

"Buneary…"

"He said not to worry about her attitude. I'm sure what he said about her was right. It's no big deal, regardless," he said with a yawn. His sleep enchanted eyes shut themselves drifted towards the clock. Two o'clock. They slowly shut as he relaxed himself into the soft cushion. Aristsora cuddled into him and shut her eyes as well. **Just a short nap…**

When he opened his eyes, the moon was staring at him through the window. **Whoops…**

"Welcome back. Did you have a pleasant dream?"

He turned his head to face the source of the voice. It was Cynthia, who was smiling cheerfully.


	3. Chapter 3: Pity

Chapter 3: Pity

Cladis held his hand to his head for a brief moment. "How…how long was I out for?" he mumbled.

"It is currently eight twenty-five," Cynthia responded.

"A bit over six hours," Cladis grumbled.

"I didn't want to wake you up," Cynthia said as she set down her book, "I would have arrived sooner –maybe when you were awake- but I had to take care of those troublemakers."

"It's fine," Cladis replied and continued to rub his head. "The two Team Aqua Grunts stopped by before. I completely forgot to ask then what happened."

"Well, after you rushed to the center, we easily defeated those three. They tried to flee afterwards, but Garchomp stopped them in their tracks. You'll be happy to know that I personally made sure they were taken care of by the authorities."

"That's great news," Cladis said with a smile. He squeezed his other hand and jolted as he realized it was empty. He looked around in a panic. "Aristsora?" he called.

Cynthia chuckled. "She's fine, don't worry. She's playing with my Garchomp over there." She looked over to her right and Cladis followed with his eyes. Indeed, the tiny rabbit pokemon was playing with the Champion's mighty dragon. She was hanging on to Garchomp's raised arm, poking her head out from behind the dragon's fin. It looked like the two were having a grand ol'time. "Your Buneary woke up before you did, so my Garchomp was entertaining her for the time being.

"Ah, thank you M-Miss Champion," Cladis replied with a sigh of relief.

"'Cynthia' is fine," she replied with a warm smile.

"C-Cynthia, right," he replied. "T-thank you."

She looked back at the pokemon. "You know, someone else is there, too."

Cladis looked back at the pokemon as well. His eyes went wide and began to smile like a fool. Perched atop Garchomp's head was a small, healthy-looking bat. It noticed him and flew straight towards him. "Sonitus!" Cladis cried out as the bat pokemon landed on his head.

"Your pokemon made a remarkably fast recovery," Nurse Joy informed as she approached the two of them. "I've never seen a pokemon regain its strength so quickly. Despite his vigor, however, his wounds still aren't fully healed. It will take a few days for them to recover so there will be no battles for awhile, understand?"

"Noi…" Sonitus grumbled.

"I'll make sure he stays out of trouble," Cladis replied. "I can't thank you enough for all your help, Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy bowed. "There's no need to thank me. I'm happy to help out all pokemon in need. But um," her face turned to a look of concern, "I…really hate to bring this up now after everything you've been through; the lodging rooms of the center are all full today, and I'm afraid regulations prevent me from allowing you to sleep in this area now that your pokemon is out of intensive care. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience," she bowed again. "I can call ahead and see if there are any openings in any nearby hotels, if you'd like."

"That won't be necessary," Cynthia chimed, causing Joy and Cladis to look at her. "Cladis, you are welcome to stay the night at my villa."

Cladis looked at her in shock. "W-what?"

She smiled warmly. "I think you've had way too long of a day. You don't need any more headaches. And besides, not everyone gets invited to visit the Champion."

"I-I wouldn't want to be a burden," Cladis stammered.

"Good, because you won't be. My car is out front – are you able to walk?" she asked.

"Y-yes. I'm feeling a lot better, now, actually. Sonitus isn't the only one who recovers fast," he said as he rose to his feet.

"That's good to hear," Cynthia chimed as she rose to her feet as well.

Cladis smiled awkwardly as he noticed he was a good few inches shorter than her. **S-so short…** "W-well, ladies first," he said with a bow.

* * *

The moonlight shone with a strangely strong glow. Light gifted from the moon lit up every corner of darkness surrounding the modest villa. A gentle breeze blew over the two entities seated on the veranda. Cynthia was cloaked in a beautiful silver nightgown. Cladis, in opposition, was in a black buttoned down pajama set. The two of them sat with tea and idle chit-chat while they enjoyed the blissful night. Cladis was amazed at the generosity she was showing him – and she barely knew him. Not even barely – she didn't know him at all. Still, she took him into her home and allowed him to have a warm bath and a fresh, divine dinner. And now they were chatting as if they were long friends. **What on Earth is so special about me?** He didn't show it, but his concerns were running through his mind. Why did he deserve such kindness? Cladis decided it was about time to poke the fire.

The tea cup clanked onto the plate as it was set down. "Cynthia," Cladis began, "Are you usually this generous to those you've never met?"

She smiled her warm, closed eye smile. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Then – pardon my rudeness – why am I here?"

Cynthia's smile faded as she looked down at her book that rested beside her own cup. She opened the front cover and lifted the envelope that rested inside. "Your Buneary gave me this while you slept."

Cladis's eyes went wide as he noticed the seal placed on the face of the envelope. He looked away quietly. "I can't believe I forgot about that until now," he mumbled to himself.

"I'm sure you would've remembered. Your day didn't start off perfectly, after all," she said trying to comfort him.

"But it was so important. I shouldn't have forgotten it in the first place."

"That doesn't matter now, Cladis. I have the letter, just as your father wanted."

"I suppose so." He looked up at the moon. The gentle, gentle moon.

"Cladis," Cynthia said, looking looked disheartened, "Your father…he was an old colleague I met before I became the champion. We used to keep in touch, but after the incident with Team Galactic here and Team Flare in Kalos, we slowly lost touch - much to my regret. He used to tell me about you growing up, you know."

He was silent.

"Cladis…your father wanted me to help you get started in Sinnoh. It's written that you were supposed to bring with you something of great importance, too. From the way this letter is written, it seemed like he wanted to send this himself but…" she stopped herself.

Cladis's eyes were shut now. The corners of his eyes were shimmering.

"Can you…can you share with me what you know about him? And about this…thing of great importance?" she asked with great concern.

He had lost himself in the glowing light of the moon. A pain forming inside his heart was soothed only by the gentle light of the night. His father's end, the letter, the pain, the moon, the…Darkness. All of it was coming together inside his heart. He turned to his hostess and nodded slightly. "I'll share…"


	4. Chapter 4: Past

Chapter 4: Past

"It all began with a night much like this one. Pokemon of all kind stood staring up at the gentle moonlight while the humans remained in their beds. All except for me, at least. I wanted to observe the interaction between the newly migrated Clefairy and the local Volbeat and Illumise. You know, it's intriguing, yet sad when you think about it – pokemon always find new places that suit their needs after avoiding a disaster caused by man. The drought and flooding of Hoenn, the ancient weapon of destruction of Kalos; they all contributed to the migration and meshing of species between all of our regions. Yes…and I was out studying just that. Sonitus and I sat on a hillside and gazed down at the Clefairy dancing with the local bug dances of the moonlight. My father was too busy that night to see them himself, so he sent me out to the field in his stead. It was such a beautiful sight – a sight everyone should see at least once in their lives. The synergy between them was so entrancing that neither of us could look away. Sonitus and I watched them for most of the night before succumbing to the need of slumber. The rays of midday sunlight pulled me from my dream. I picked up Sonitus and rushed home knowing my father would not be pleased with me.

"When I arrived home, my heart sunk as I noticed a large crowd gathered around my father's house. He used to receive visitors but never to that extent. I tried ever so hard to shrug off that nagging feeling taking over my head. I pushed through the crowd, pushed past the officer standing by the door, past everything in my way…And then I saw him lying there…and I froze.

"Dead. No rhyme, no reason; no wound no trauma…nothing. Just…death. No one could find out why. I wanted anything, but was only given nothing. At his funeral, the entire town showed up and offered their support to me – but it was all just a sham. A farce. They didn't care for me, they cared for my father's research. Days went by and little by little those who'd stop by slowly disappeared. They would pretend to help and ask for something from my father's research and leave once I'd tell them. How naïve I was…

"Over time, bills began to stack up. No matter what I did, I could never bring in enough money to pay them all off. One day, I lost it. I ravaged the house, searching for anything that could help me and Sonitus get by. My father was always gifted money from benefactors…but once he died we stopped receiving funding. I hoped that I would find a secret stash set aside in case anything happened. My heart leaped for joy as Sonitus clumsily knocked a shelf off its hinges, which smashed the dresser below it and revealed a black wall safe behind it. I thought we were in the clear. Sonitus melted the lock with his Heat Wave attack. I opened the safe and my heart sank. The only thing sitting in the safe was a briefcase. I opened the case and inside there were three things. The letter addressed to you, a letter addressed to me, and a pokeball made entirely of crystal. This one, to be exact." Cladis reached into his bag and held up a pure light blue crystal pokeball. The jagged pokemon shined in the moon light.

"His last gift to you, wasn't it?" Cynthia asked as her eyes fixated on the pokeball.

Cladis nodded quietly. "The letter he left for me told me that the pokemon inside this pokemon was unlike any other – but that's all he said about it. The rest of the note was telling me to find you. He left enough pokedollars for me to get a ticket to Sinnoh and to support myself for a few days until I found you. The way he wrote it though, it's almost as if he wanted you to take care of me. I didn't want to be a burden; I was going to give you the letter and…" he chuckled, "well, figure it out from there."

Cynthia looked down at her own letter. "Your father wrote that you'd say that," she said with a chuckle. "Well…I won't stop you from choosing your own path – everyone has to at some point. And with your pokemon, I'm sure you'll be fine." She looked back at the pokeball. "What's inside?"

Cladis smiled as he opened the pokeball. In a flash of light, a small, pink-fluffed pokemon was on his lap. "B…Buneary?" the pokemon said, rubbing a sleepy eye.

"Go back to sleep, Aristsora. I didn't mean to wake you," he cooed as he gently stroked the rabbit's head. He looked up at Cynthia. "She was inside the pokeball. And, I must say, she truly is spectacular. Perhaps I will show you, later. But for now…I think it's best for me to head to bed and consider my options, if I may."

Cynthia nodded. "Go right ahead. I'll see you in the morning."

Cladis bowed and headed back inside the house. Cynthia soon followed as clouds began to hide the gently light of the moon.


	5. Chapter 5: Meditation

Chapter 5: Meditation

Water; A component for life. A component that makes up most of the human body, yet it's still not enough. Water must be taken and used; consumption, creation, restoration – the list goes on and on. Pokemon need it, too. Some might even argue they need it more than humans. At least…that used to be the argument. After the rampage of Kyogre and Groudon; the views of Team Aqua and Team Magma shifted drastically. Both teams worked towards fixing their mistakes over the past few years. While Team Magma researched ways to make the land more livable for humans and pokemon, Team Aqua worked towards finding ways to keep water pure and usable.

 _…What does any of this have to do with Sinnoh?_

Ira sat neck-deep in the large bathhouse of the female quarters. The bath was massive – a size fit for a Gyarados. – providing plenty of space for all the female members. Yet it was mostly empty that night aside from Ira and a few others. Ira sat quietly on one end of bath while the other girls grouped together and were chatting amongst themselves at the other. Good riddance, she would say. Silence was her preference; it allowed her to traverse her thoughts freely and in depth. One such thought was the reasoning to their trip to Sinnoh. Unlike her native Hoenn region, Sinnoh did not have an over abundance of water. The region was mostly made out of mountains. It seemed like a place Team Magma would enjoy more so than her team. The only thing Archie said was that the reason to move was of "great importance," whatever that meant. As much as Ira wanted to know, she knew better than to question her leaders. After all, she and the grunts were only there to follow orders.

A purr nearly broke her trance. Her Vaporeon was swimming in an arc around her, disrupting the stillness of the water. Ira pet her Vaporeon before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The gently motion of the water brushed against her bare skin – it was one of her favorite things in the world ever since she was a baby. The gentle, clear, cool liquid running all over her body and down her arms, legs, face, breasts – it was her heaven. If it were up to her, she'd spend all her time in the water. That dream was incredibly close to becoming a reality when she and her brother joined Team Aqua. They joined one month before the incident. But she knew what they were doing was wrong. Perhaps that's why she and her brother were of the few to accept Archie's decision to change their goal easier.

Ira and her twin brother, Crest…the two made quite a pair. It was she who wanted to join Team Aqua – Crest only followed to keep her safe. That ran through her mind more often than not. She made him one of the bad guys…well, one of what used to be the bad guys. He had always looked out for her, no matter how much of an attitude she gave him – or anyone for that matter. Still, he should know better than to tell her to "be nice" to someone she doesn't even know. Why did he care so much about how she acted towards…?

"Damn it," she whispered to herself, not caring about the looks she knew she was getting from the other girls. The thought of that whole scene bugged the ever living hell out of her. She had no desire to think about the smug, arrogant looks on those three assholes, the massacre of that pokemon, that horrid look on…his face…

 _…Cladis._

That look…that horrid, fear-stricken look. Pure fear from almost losing someone…it brought back memories of what she had to partake in before the renewal. _Please, don't make me think about that…_ Her hands clamped gently over the sides of her head and her eyes clenched tighter. She pressed down gently on her forehead. Her Vaporeon tried to comfort her with a cuddle, but she was too trapped in her thoughts to notice. Everything ran through her mind at that point. Water. Aqua. Her brother. Those assholes. The Noibat…Cladis. _Back here again…_

"Hey you."

Ira's trance was finally broken by a stern voice. She turned her head and looked up at Shelly, Archie's second in command. She was silent for a moment as she looked at the clock above Shelly. Bath-time was over ten minutes ago. She slowly climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself before going behind one of the screens.

"We go through this every time, Ira," Shelly reprimanded.

"Sorry," Ira snapped quickly.

"Watch that attitude. Just because some assholes pissed you off and Archie chewed you out doesn't mean you can snap at me." Ira's Vaporeon hopped out of the bath next to Shelly, who knelt down and pet him. "Make sure this doesn't happen again," she said to the pokemon.

Ira walked out from behind the screen in a striped set of pajamas while holding the uniform she used that day. She didn't make eye contact with Shelly as she and her Vaporeon walked back to her quarters.

* * *

Crest was leaning against the wall next to her door waiting for her. He grinned as soon as he saw her scowling face. "Lost yaself in thought again, eh sis?" he teased.

"Shut up," she growled as she opened the door and attempted to shut it behind her.

Crest stuck his foot in the door and walked in behind her. "You were thinkin' about what happened today, huh?"

"I said 'Shut up'," she growled again.

"Temper, temper. Ya know, they say ya shouldn't go to bed angry, not good for the mind or somethin' like that." He grinned as he prepped his poking words. "So…I'm gonna take a guess you were thinkin' about our new friend, eh?"

Ira remained silent as she put away her uniform.

"Ya know, another grunt overheard him an' the Champion speakin' outside the Center. Seems she took him to her villa for the night before he skips town."

"And I should care, why?"

"Because tomorrow we're gonna find him before he leaves and you're gonna apologize for your attitude."

She turned to him and growled. "Over my dead body!"

Crest laughed. "Well, it was worth a shot. Anyway, Archie wants us to find him and see if he actually wants to join the team."

"Ugh, why us?" she asked as she climbed into bed.

"Seriously? And you usually yell at me for stupid questions." He sat on the end of her bed and looked at her sincerely. "You really should apologize either way. I bet he thinks you don't like him at all," he said in a more concerned voice, losing most of his accent.

"Whatever…" Ira said as she rolled her eyes and faced the wall. He'd always pull that voice out when he was completely firm on a subject – and it always caused her to give in.

Crest grinned like a fool. "G'night sis. See ya in the morning'," he said as he walked out the door, shutting it slowly behind him.

Ira shut her eyes as Vaporeon yawned and curled up beside her. Immediately her thoughts engulfed her, dragging her deep into the realm of dreams.


	6. Chapter 6: Proclamation

Chapter 6: Proclamation

The morning hours waltzed by the recruiters as they wandered through the streets of Jubilife. The light of that summer day shone ever so grossly incandescent upon the draped bandanas of their heads. Ira held up the rear with her arms crossed and looking incredibly agitated. The first stop of the day was Cynthia's villa, but as soon as they arrived they discovered that Cynthia and Cladis had left early on for the city. Thus began the nearly hour long search for the two of them through the streets of the city. Ira grumbled unhappily. "Why did we have to go looking for him on the hottest day of the year so far and at the hottest hour?"

"We'd be wastin' time not lookin'," Crest replied. He held his hands behind his head and basked in the sunlight looking quite relaxed.

"Hell, seeing as we haven't seen him yet, he's probably already gone."

"Ya gotta relax, sis. Her housekeeper said he ain't leavin' until tomorrow morning. Besides, a lil' walk is good for ya."

"What the hell are you trying to say?!"

"Nothin', nothin'," he hummed.

"Oh, go to Hell!"

"Alright, can it, you two." Archie, leading the siblings, turned his head with a menacing glare. He decided the night before to have the two accompany him to recruit the boy, but now he was beginning to think he should've just attempted this by himself.

"I thought it was you two."

A female voice caught all three of them by surprise. They turned in unison to see Cynthia exit a shop holding a few bags. Crest grinned and turned his head to his sister. "Hear that? The Champ remembers us."

Cynthia chuckled. "Who could forget the bickering between you two, even after a successful battle?" she teased. Her eyes moved to their leader. "And you must be Archie."

Archie walked over and extended his hand. "You got that right. Archie, head honcho of Team Aqua."

Cynthia shook it and smiled warmly. "Cynthia, Champion of Sinnoh. So, what brings you to this part of town – or rather, I should ask what brings you to Sinnoh as a whole?"

Archie grinned. "Well, I'll answer your questions in order. We've actually been looking for that boy. I want him to join Team Aqua. He hasn't left early, has he?"

Cynthia's face turned serious. "No, he hasn't. He'll be out shortly. I was taking him to gather supplies for him and his pokemon, as well as get him a new set of clothes since his old ones are incredibly charred. Why do you want him to join you?"

"Well, I like him. He's got that same look in his eyes as that trainer who stopped my mistake all those years ago. From what I'm told, his pokemon are strong and he certainly didn't back down against me. He'd make a fine addition to our team."

Cynthia looked into the store for a brief moment in silence. As she noticed Cladis heading towards the door, she turned to Archie. "Come help me put these in my car," she said in a stern tone. Archie knew what she was implying. He took the bags from her and followed behind her. The two were visibly talking, but neither Crest nor Ira could make out what they were saying.

The glass doors of the tailoring shop opened with the sound of a bell. Cladis, holding a bag of his own walked out into the gentle rays of the sun. Sonitus was resting on his shoulder while Aristsora was being held up by his free arm. Crest grinned like a fool as he stepped infront of the boy. "Yo, Cladis! You an' your friend are lookin' in good health!"

"O-oh! Hello, Crest. A-and Ira. Yes, he and I have almost fully recovered," he said with a nervous smile. "What brings you here?"

"Archie wants you to join the team," Ira answered simply, pointing her thumb towards Archie and Cynthia. Her brother gave her a look and motioned his arms in a way that most would associate him with implying, Annnnnd? She rolled her eyes and looked away for two seconds before looking back at Cladis. "And I'm sorry that I'm such a bitch. It's just the way I am."

Cladis smiled slightly. He could feel the sincerity emitting from her. In fact, he felt other emotions besides anger coming from her now. "Its fine, you don't have to apologize for anything," he cooed, causing her to look away. The emotions faded.

Crest grinned like a fool and rested his elbow on the boy's open shoulder. "See? I told ya she ain't as bad as she seems."

"Bite me," she snapped.

Cladis chuckled for a second before looking off at Archie and Cynthia. "So…he wants me to join Team Aqua?"

"Yeah. After we got back to the base, he had us report on the incident. I mighta slid in how strong ya lil' friend here was and how ya handled the real battle like a pro," Crest said, staring at the two of them, too, "Plus, ya stopped him from goin' off on us, and you saw his reaction."

Ira sighed. "They sure are taking awhile. This sun is killing me."

"Hey!" Crest suddenly exclaimed, looking back at his sister and Cladis, "this might sound stupid – and probably extremely cliché – but why not take your mind off the heat with a battle? Maybe show Archie the power we were talking about?"

Ira stared at him. "Heat doesn't work that way, but out of boredom I'll play along."

Sonitus started to get riled up. "Sonitus, you heard what the doctor said," Cladis said sternly. The Noibat pouted like a spoiled brat.

Aristsora looked up at him and squeezed his wrist. "Buneary, Buneary!" it called anxiously.

"You…you want to battle?" he had a slight hint of worry in his voice.

"I won't attempt to kill her. I'm not one of those assholes," Ira said, looking at the rabbit.

Cladis nodded slowly. "O-okay. The park is nearby and nice and shady, too. Do you want to go there?"

"Anywhere that'll get me out of this damned sun," she growled as she walked off. Cladis followed behind while Crest went to tell Cynthia and Archie.


	7. Chapter 7: Showcase

Chapter 7: Showcase

The sunlight gleamed brightly over the central open walkway of the park as the two trainers stood across from one another. Spectators began to gather along the sides of the circular arena, silently whispering among themselves remembering who the two trainers were. Crest stood atop a rock beside the path. "Alright you two, I want a good clean fight. One pokemon each and the battle ends when I say so or a pokemon is unable to battle."

"Whatever you say, coach," Ira scoffed and threw out her pokeball. "Vaporeon, let's go!" In a flash of light the pokeball opened and Vaporeon appeared, standing strong for battle.

Aristsora leapt down from Cladis's arm and took a fighting stance of her own. Cladis smiled sheepishly. "This battle will mark her third trainer battle, you know. I'm actually excited to show off her potential," he said, mostly obscured by the shadow of a tree.

"Then let's get started already!" Ira cried out and pointed forward. "Vaporeon, use Aurora Beam!" Her pokemon's fins began to glow as he opened his mouth and shot out a rainbow-colored beam at Aristsora.

"Dodge with Jump Kick!" Cladis called out. Aristsora leapt at the final possibly moment before the beam struck her and dove feet first into Vaporeon at an incredibly speed. The immediate blow knocked the water-type a good few feet away, but it quickly shrugged off the damage and began to prepare another Aurora Beam. The rabbit pokemon went in for another Jump Kick, but this time the water pokemon dove out of the way, causing her to crash into the ground. She cringed, unable to move from the self-inflicted damage.

"Punish it!" Ira said with a smirk. Vaporeon fired the beam once again.

Cladis had a small ounce of worry on his face. "T-tank it! Cosmic Power!" Aristsora pulled her ears down over her front side just as the beam hit her. When the vibrant colored flash faded, the Buneary's fluff was sparkling with the power of the stars. Ira and a few spectators looked stunned that Aristsora knew that move. "We might have a few tricks up our sleeve," Cladis said quietly as Aristsora regained her strength and charged forward.

"So do I," Ira said with a grin, "Vaporeon, use Rain Dance and then Acid Armor!" Her pokemon danced out of the way and began to glow. The once clear sky began to grow covered by dark clouds – at least over the battle field. They opened up and released a downpour of rain, covering the pokemon and some of the spectators who were just on the edge of the battle. Then, suddenly, the glowing pokemon disappeared. Aristsora looked around confused just before she was struck by a ring of water.

Cynthia and Archie watched in amusement from a dry portion of the park. "My, what an interesting combination," Cynthia commented, "using Acid Armor to near-liquefy her pokemon so it could hide among the droplets."

"She and her brother are two of our higher ranked grunts. Their combinations have always been spot on, whether they battle separate or together. But that look in that boy's eyes…he's already figured her out."

Aristsora dove around the small battle field barely getting out of the way of the fast pulses of water shooting from every which way. Cladis had spent the time studying the movement patterns of the pulses. They seemed completely random, and no splashes were made by the Vaporeon's feet. There was no way to track the pokemon, which meant it was time to unleash her secret. "Aristsora," Cladis called. The pokemon looked at him as it dodged. Her eyes shined, knowing his plan. "Here's the true power of my pokemon! Use Icicle Crash!"

"What did he say…?!" Cynthia as well as everyone else stared in disbelief as the small rabbit pokemon began to build up a large icicle above its head.

"Shatter!"

Instantly, the rabbit slammed the icicle into the ground, sending shards of icicles towards every direction. A cry was heard to the left of Aristsora as some of the shards stopped short and shattered even smaller. "There! Use Drain Punch!" She charged forward and struck her target with a life draining punch. The blow was able to halt the effects of the Acid Armor.

Ira gritted her teeth, looking incredibly angered by the sudden surprise. "Vaporeon, we can't be finished yet! Rapid Water Pulse, hurry!"

"Use Icicle Crash to cut through them!" Aristsora pressed her paws together and created a wider, shield-like icicle. She charged forward as the icicle blocked each ring of water. The Vaporeon tried to leap out of the way, but Aristsora was quicker, chucking the entire icicle and striking her target dead on. Vaporeon fell to the ground and struggled to stand up.

As the rain cleared up, Vaporeon stumbled. Crest whistled loudly and waved his arms. "Alright folks, looks like we got a winner!" Aristsora jumped for joy as Sonitnus flew down next to her and did the same. Cladis breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over and pet his proud pokemon. The crowd clapped in appreciation and slowly dispersed.

Ira shook her head in disbelief as she picked up her pokemon. "We would've won if not for that damn move…" she whispered to her pokemon. Vaporeon looked at her, disapproving.

Cynthia walked over to her and knelt down next to her. "You and your Vaporeon battled with such vigor. I couldn't take my eyes off the battle. You have an amazing combination. Don't let a little surprise get you down."

Ira grumbled and looked down at her pokemon. A shadow loomed over her. As she looked up she saw Cladis standing against the sun, Sonitus on his head and Aristsora held in his arm, holding a Full Restore towards her with his other hand. "H-here," he said quietly.

She looked at him quietly for a few seconds before taking the Full Restore and spraying it on her pokemon. "Thanks," she mumbled, causing Cladis to smile slightly. She looked away quietly as her Vaporeon leapt out of her arms, full of energy again. Aristsora leapt out of his arms and began to play with the water-pokemon.

"And just like that, enemies in battle, friends in field. Pokemon and trainers are surely something," Cynthia said with a smile. "And…that Buneary," she looked at it with a spark of curiosity, "how does she know Icicle Crash?"

Cladis smiled incredibly shyly. "Well, to be quite honest, I have no idea," he chuckled slightly, "All of her moves she knew right out of the pokeball."

Archie patted the boy on his back. "And it's a surprise like that that makes me like ya, kid! That battle got my blood going! You're sure to keep us on our toes at this rate! Come on, what do ya say? Join us!"

Cladis stared at Archie for a moment. Such a nonchalant way to ask such an important question, he thought. His gaze shifted over to Crest and Ira. Crest looked at him with a grin and nodded. Ira just stared blankly at him before she turned away, crossed her arms, and shut her eyes. Cynthia looked down at him. He could see a worried look on her face, despite her trying to hide it with a smile. She nodded quietly. It was time for him to choose his own destiny. He looked down at his pokemon. Sonitus and Aristsora stared back up at him. They had a determined look in their eyes. No matter what, they were going to be by his side. His gaze returned to Archie. "Alright."


	8. Chapter 8: Rest

Chapter 8: Rest

Cladis laid on his back gazing towards the ceiling. The room was filled with silence as he trapped himself in deep thought. The initiation went well - Archie made sure he passed through everything. As for the uniform, he had to, unfortunately, chop off most of his hair to fit in the bandana. His ponytail had to go - leaving his hair ear length but still draping over his eye. The other members didn't really pay him much mind - they just went about their days as normal. **Good** , he thought to himself. He'd rather not be anything special. He looked over to the Aqua uniform resting folded on his desk. A symbol of a purpose, he thought. And he wasn't going to do it alone, either. His eyes drifted to his two sleeping pokemon and smiled slightly.

Just then, the door creaked open slowly as Crest made a grand entrance. "Hey there, roomie!" he greeted.

Cladis looked over at him. "Oh, hey, Crest," he returned.

"What a day, eh?" Crest asked as he leapt onto his bed.

Cladis was silent for a brief moment as he stared back at the ceiling. "Yeah, I guess."

"You alright, bud?"

"Just...taking it all in. Yesterday I was just some stranger nobody and now I'm a member of Team Aqua - and I have three human friends, too."

Crest chuckled. "Yeah, sure went by fast, but you'll like it here. And back in Hoenn, too." Crest placed his head on his pillow and shut his eyes as if to sleep. His mouth, on the other hand, had other plans. "So ya consider Ira a friend, eh? Whatcha think of her?"

Cladis turned his head to look at him, caught off guard. "Well...she and her pokemon are strong. And she's...well, her shell is cold, but I'm sure she isn't always that way...right?"

"Sooo ya like her?" Crest taunted with a cynical grin.

"W-what?!" Cladis responded with flushed cheeks. He was thankful Cladis kept his eyes shut.

"Crest knows these things, can't hide'em from me!" he laughed for a few seconds before completely passing out.

Once silence befell the room, the room began to darken as Cladis slowly began to drift away himself. **A crush...on her? That mean, self-centered proud...yet hidden and cute...who am I kidding…?** "I guess…" he whispered to himself and fell deep into the realm of dreams.


	9. Chapter 9: Hidden

Chapter 9:Hidden

The orchestration created amongst the humming of machines grew louder as heavy foot prints trudged along the metal floor down the hall. Iron doors slide open with a loud whirr, causing heads to turn and salutes to be raised. "Status report," a gruff voice ordered.  
"Sir," an old, round scientist began, "our agents have confirmed the whereabouts of the target, but…"

Evil eyes glared at the scientist.

"B-but just before they were about to acquire the target, they ran into interference, s-sir."

"Where is the target now?!" the rough voice snarled.

"We haven't been able to determine that; our field agents haven't been able to contact us yet…"

"Imbeciles. I expect better results next time. Get contact immediately."

"Right away, sir. Oh and, Team Aqua has arrived sooner than expected, s-sir."

"We continue as planned. They will be dealt with later." The man with the gruff voice left the hall of humming soon after.

Just as the scientists returned to their duties, a pair of blood-red eyes opened within the darkest corner of the room. They went unknown as they scanned the room and slipped out of the room.


End file.
